Acceptable turn-around times on repair/replacement of firearms/accessories?

[Trey Veston]

We've all heard stories of folks sending in guns for repair and getting them back in two weeks in perfect condition. Usually it involves Rugers.

Then we've heard horror stories of folks sending in guns and it taking months and months. Those stories usually involve Taurus.

Just wondering what the consensus is in a reasonable time frame for a manufacturer to repair or replace a firearm or accessory.

I've returned 2 firearms in the last 15 years. Both were S&W handguns. The first was a full-size M&P40 with FTF issues in 2007 and it came back in two weeks and has been perfect since.

The other was an M&P Shield Performance Center with a flawed barrel. That took 2 months.

Sent back a brand new Vortex Venom red dot that wouldn't hold zero and confirmed they received it April 7th and no sign of the replacement. I figured three weeks would be about the upper amount of time for them to send me a new unit.

Unfortunately, their customer service ends about two hours before I wake up for my shift.

In this day and age of 3-day delivery, I think we are getting impatient. But it's frustrating to spend good money for a product, only to have it fail immediately or have an issue that requires it to be returned.

 

[KY DAN]

My rule of thumb is one month turn around if it's the standard items i.e. not performance center or anything custom. If it's custom forget it, I will wait years

 

[Encoreman]

Last year around May or June my new Beretta APX decided to launch the extractor off and hit my knuckle on about round 13 or 14. It was back in my hands in less than 3 weeks, not exactly sure but it surprised me during the current situation. I figured 3 or 4 months if I was lucky.

 

[Bill Raby]

How long it takes depends on how many guns they have in to to get fixed and how many people they have working on fixing them. How loud you can yell at a telephone does not really play into it much.

 

[mnrivrat]

Outside of some custom work and perhaps special parts availability, I believe a month is a fair amount of time. If it can't be turned around in a month I think whoever is working on it should notify the customer with an explanation.
When I worked as an independent I had been known to work through the night to complete a needed repair on firearms that were a rush for one reason or another. Normal was first come, first served.

When I was retired and working PT for a friend doing his internet sales listings, and gold/silver purchases he came to me one day with some paperwork on two guns that he had sent off for work to be done. Both were over a year old. He asked if I could check on them. one was a Mossberg 500 . I made a call to the warrant repair unit at Mossberg and was told they were waiting for a part. I called BS on that as I knew they hadn't stopped making 500's for over a year. I asked for the manager and spoke with him, and told him this nonsense was not tolerable. I don't remember what the issue was that it was sent in for, but within 10 days of my call a new M500 arrived at the shop.

The other was a Weatherby rifle with the crackled finish on the stock. I called Weatherby and was given the name of a shop that was handling their warranty work. I also verified with the Weatherby reprehensive that it was a warranty . I called the shop and they verified they had the rifle. I asked them why they had it for so long and what its status was. I received a run around answer that it takes a long time to do a proper finish, etc. I told them it doesn't take a year to do a stock refinish no matter what. I asked them to physically find and look at the rifle to tell me what they had done with it thus far. Basically nothing, so I told them they had it long enough and needed to get it done. They gave me a 4 week time frame. After that time was up I called and asked about it. They said the finish had been removes and they were waiting to re-apply. They gave me a 4 week wait. Now this went on for about 5 months when I told them to send the gun back no matter what they had or had not done. I then called Weatherby and gave them an ear full about their warranty provider and how many new guns would be ordered by the shop. (zero) The next day I received a call from a Weatherby representative who said they would sent the warranty shop a new finished stock to put on the rifle and would I be OK with that. Well yes I agreed to that. 2&1/2 weeks later the rifle arrived back at the shop with a new stock.

I think the lesson learned is to not just send something off without following up at what should be reasonable time periods. When you do send something off it is also a good idea to call when you can before you send and ask what their normal turn around times are, so you know what to expect.

 

[Curious2]

Three weeks for a firing pin repair on a GP 100 with about 6k rounds. Bought another new GP 100 that shot about 1ft to the left out of the box @ 15 yds, not quite on target with full rt windage adjustment. Back to Ruger it went... It's been a little over 3 weeks now. Time will tell...

 

[Riomouse911]

Took me 3 months to get a RO number and another 4.5 months to get a revolver repaired by S&W.

As was stated, lots of companies have staffing issues due to COVID and some have a line of guns to repair (sadly). Smith is one of them that apparently has both.

Stay safe.

 

[JCooperfan1911]

It all depends but I'd say 3-4 months. After that it starts to get to the levels of unacceptability.

Experiences of such delays has pushed me towards the route of only buying guns from companies I know have good product support and customer's service.

I won't buy a new Colt or Beretta/Uberti fot example. Bad experiences with them recently. Ruger and CZ USA has my vote and Browning so far has been good to deal with but my new SA22 has been with them for 5 months awaiting parts from Nippon and I'm getting a mite frustrated.

The very best, and I do mean best customer service I've ever had was oddly enough from Charter Arms. If they made rifles and shotguns I'd probably patronize them even more.

Companies that can't or won't support their customers deserve no future revenue.

 

[earlthegoat2]

I’m not the type to pester people with “what’s taking so long” types of calls so I generally give it a more than fair amount of time be fore I do.

What I find so darn weird though is all the coincidences that occur when I do call. Coincidentally, it would seem whenever I call and inquire they are “just about to get started on that” or are “just finishing up” or are “in the middle of that right now”. So strange they are always right on top of the issue right when I am calling.

So yeah, it’s a good idea to follow up. If you want faster service, follow up earlier than normal that way you might get lucky and they will be “just finishing up now” a week early.

 

[JR24]

I've sent a gun in twice, same gun both times to DW, for some minor issues and got it back in 2 weeks. So I said a month seems reasonable.

Waiting on HK to send me a new front sight but I don't really need it since I put Trijicons on after the first one broke, but I'll be interested in how long it'll take them to get em to me.

 

[CoalCrackerAl]

Fastest turnaround i had was 8 days. Hi-point. RIA is pretty fast too. Longest i has was 12 weeks. S&W.

 

[alfsauve]

Talked with Sig just recently. They try to turn around all warranty work in 2 business days. Add 3 days up and 3 back for shipping that works out to 8 days. I just sent a gun in on last Thursday, so we'll see if it works.

BTB, not guns, but laptops. A contractor for IBM handling the old ThinkPad repair set up shop next door to the FedEx hub in Memphis. If you dropped off your laptop by 5pm at a FedEx center, the contractor pulled it directly off the hub when it got to Memphis, repaired it, then put it back into the FedEx sorting system. You got your repaired laptop back by the next day FedEx delivery. Where I work our FedEx guy came at 9am. Overnight service!

 

[CapnMac]

Well, in the last 40 years, I've only ever sent one firearm in for repairs (a Taurus PT-945).
That particular arm was snake-bit out of the factory. LGS wound up sending it back three times before they realized/acknowledged that the bores for the hammer & safety were not 90º to the longitudinal axis. So, that took right at 7 weeks, which was about 6 weeks too many. Told the LGS to put in the case and call me when it sells.

Warranties are not high on my priority list over all, especially as I nearly always buy used.

 

[Sefuller5741]

I called Kimber on Wednesday April 7th about a problem with my 1911, I had an overnight shipping label in my email that afternoon and sent the gun the following day. I received an email on April 12th that repairs were complete, and a tracking number for the return trip. UPS did not hold up their end of the 2 day delivery schedule but I still had it back in a week which I thought was outstanding. They gave it the full spa treatment as well which made me doubly happy.

 

[JDeere]

I don't know maybe I have been lucky. In all my years of buying firearms and accessories. I have never had to send one back. Busted a slide stop on a Kimber once and they had a new one in the mail the same day. Got a new custom tube ordered and to be installed for one of my rifles and was told 16 weeks. I know that up front so no big deal...

 

[daniel craig]

For me “however long it takes” as long as it’s less than 5 months and it comes back right the first time.

I also have backups and don’t need it for my living so it’s not that big of a deal to me if it’s not sitting in my safe for five months. Because who am I kidding most of my guns are sitting in my safe for the majority of there life and it’s not like I’d actually be out shooting it over the 5 months at the repair shop. And when I do get it back I’ll probably shoot it a bit and it will still spend most of it’s life in the safe. What’s the difference between in the safe where I’m not using it or at the factory where I’m not using it.

 

[Trey Veston]

Sent an email Thursday and got a reply Friday. Coincidentally, they said it was just being looked at that day. But, no idea when it will be returned.

Rare perfect weather this week and was hoping to get it back and sight in my rifle.

 

[Riomouse911]

Whole my S&W experience wasn’t great, Ruger has been amazing. I sent in a new purchase/warranty issue 10/22 international in for a goofy screw that wouldn’t let the nose cap come off. I had it back in a week.

A .41 Blackhawk that was bought used off GB had light strikes the first time I shot it. It went to Ruger in New Hampshire and was back to me with new springs and a new transfer bar in 10 days.

Stay safe.

 

[.38 Special]

"Reasonable" and "realistic" are two utterly different things in this business. It has gotten to the point where I figure buying any gun is a roll of the dice. If I'm lucky, the gun will need to visit the local gunsmith for a trigger job. Unlucky, and the gun will need to visit the local gunsmith for a trigger job and a laundry list of other crap that the factory never should have let out the door but will happily fix for $500 and another year or so.

 

[jmorris]

My wife’s cousin just sent a Ruger American back to them Saturday, I’ll try and post back when he gets it back.

The only firearm I can remember sending back to the manufacturer was a Springfield due to a problem with the two piece barrel. Replacement was much faster than I had expected, I was shooting it again a week after I sent it to them.

I wouldn’t currently have expectations of anything that quick but was shocked the repair back then was as fast as it was.

Sometimes it’s better to be pessimistic and pleasantly surprised than optimistic and disappointed.

 

[1942bull]

I voted for two weeks because of the word “defective.” That is different from damaged. If a gun is defective the manufacturer should quickly fix it. If it damaged then the repair should be made according to the manufacturer workload at any given time. The damaged gun just gets in line.

 

[sevt_chevelle]

So I sent a defective red dot back to Swampfox optics, they emailed me yesterday at around 3pm that they received it. I got another email today at around noon saying they found my red dot to be defective and I would be receiving a new one. Got another email a few hours later with a tracking number.
Thats pretty awesome CS!!!

 

[Trey Veston]

So I sent a defective red dot back to Swampfox optics, they emailed me yesterday at around 3pm that they received it. I got another email today at around noon saying they found my red dot to be defective and I would be receiving a new one. Got another email a few hours later with a tracking number.
Thats pretty awesome CS!!!

Yes it is!

Their optics seem interesting. Sorry to hear one went bad.

 

[Trey Veston]

Got an email earlier today that I missed from Vortex saying my optic had been repaired and is on it's way back and will be here on the 27th. So 14 days it was in their hands. Not too bad for a giant manufacturer like them.

 

[alfsauve]

Here's my timeline on Sig pistol repair.
Broke it on Tuesday, of last week.
Got on the phone with a CSR late in the afternoon.
Got the mailing label on Wedneday, but could get by the FedEx Hub.
Dropped it off at FedEx. (Since the Sig label said for delivery Friday, the FedEx guy bumped it to overnight!)
FedEx delivered it to Sig on Friday.
Sig repaired and put it back in FedEx this Wednesday and sent me an email with tracking #
FedEx to deliver it Friday.

So round trip from breaking it to having it in my hot little hands. 10 days. Or 8 business days.